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Leaving the Step World

FTMandSM's picture

Good morning everyone! I haven't been on here in a long time, things were getting better with minor road bumps until Sunday. I thought something was going on as my BF (we've been together going on 5 years) pretty much stopped talking to me, was on his phone a lot and was being distant. Well, I went through his phone (I know many people don't condone this, but I just had to find out for myself). I was right people, he was talking to not only one but two other women!! This is actually the third time I have caught him doing something like this. We have a son and I stayed because of him. But I can't this time around.

What I need is support. A part of me wants to stay for my sons sake and the other part wants me to leave because I know I don't deserve this. How have you ladies/gentlemen done this with children before? My son is only 2 years old and it breaks my heart that he will now have to grow up in a broken home. I feel like a failure as a parent. Any insight and motivation would be helpful.

Thank you.

Comments

NoWireCoatHangarsEVER's picture

I recommend www.chumplady.com for anyone affected by infidelty. It's motto is Leave a Cheater, Gain a Life.

I did it. I busted my husband when I was pregnant with our third daughter. I immediately went to the lawyer's office. That baby I was pregnant with is 7. I have built a very nice life for myself. My kids are just fine btw. Just fine. They are well adjusted happy girls who make good grades and have good friends. They have a mother who is not going to be cheated on and taken advantage of. They have a great relationship with their father. We do 50/50. I model to them strength and character and integrity!

Seriously go to that website I recommend and spend all day reading!

misSTEP's picture

Your son is young enough that he won't know any different. Don't treat him like a victim. Keep your expectations high and he will rise to meet them.

I'm sorry you are going through this and that the guy is such a creep.

However, a child will do much better being with one HAPPY parent and seeing the other than with two parents, one miserable and one checked out!

zerostepdrama's picture

Yep!

DaizyDuke's picture

You're not a failure you boyfriend is. He's shown you not once, not twice but three times the kind of person he is. I would rather live alone for the rest of my life as a single mother, than live with a cheater. And what is that teaching your son? Your son is 2, he'll adjust! Is your boyfriend a good father? I can see where you would be hesitant to leave if your BF is NOT a good father, then the thought of sending your son for visitation could be scary.

But as Dr. Phil always says.. kids would rather come FROM a broken home than have to live IN a broken home.

FTMandSM's picture

BF is a good father and we are on the same page, mostly, as far as parenting goes. Everyone has their way.

I like that quote by doctor Phil! Thank you!

I have to remember that just because we are splitting doesn't mean that his family is broken. If I stay, I will be miserable and take out my stress on everyone, which would not be a good thing.

zerostepdrama's picture

My Ex cheated on me quite a few times. It turned me into someone I did not recognize. I was always stressed and worried and didn't trust him. It did not create a good family life.

Our BS was getting ready to turn 5 when I finally left. I honestly wish I would have left when he was younger because it did make things harder on my BS.

I left because I knew once a cheater, always a cheater. I basically was showing my Ex how to treat me.

I left because I did not want BS to live in a household of stress, distrust, lies and cheating.

I left because I deserved better. I was 28 and I said to myself I don't want to be 30 then 40 then 50 and this is still my life and still my story.

I left because I did not want to be a victim.

I left because I loved myself more then him.

The b.s. I went through with Ex took away time from my BS. Instead of enjoying him I was dealing with the cheating. Losing sleep, being stressed out, then sleeping during the day, looking for evidence, checking his phone, etc.

It wasn't easy. There was a good 2 years where it was just stressful and things were rough.

But I met DH. He showed me how a real man treats his woman. I never worry about him cheating on me. I 100% trust him and honestly for me there is no better feeling then knowing that my DH loves me and would never hurt me and has no interest in anyone else.

Don't ever stay just because of the kids. He will keep doing it to you.

FTMandSM's picture

Thanks Zero. I am always stressed and I take it out in bioson and "step"daughter. It's not fair to them. I can't take the lies anymore. BF is trying hard to keep me to stay, but I'm not going to. I can't live like this anymore. I can't always wondering who he is talking to, what he's doing. I checked his call history. He was calling this woman, all the time, and she is married! I'm not even mad, I feel so empty. I have to start all over again and I know I can do it. I can afford to be on my own with BS. He can't, which he is already trying to use that against me. Asking me if we could be "roommates" or putting me through a guilt trip because he will have to have two jobs just to pay rent and he won't ever get to see his kids etc. I don't care though. I will not be taken advantage of anymore. I'm 30 yrs old and I was dumb to stay as long as I did, time to move on.

zerostepdrama's picture

Same here. Oh you will get the guilt trip, then the anger, then the crying. He will act all kinds of ways before it's said and done. But be strong. My Ex did the same crap with me. He finally left but only because he got physical with me and had no choice. I'm almost grateful for that because it got the ball rolling on him finally leaving. He was trying so hard to stay. And really it wasn't for me or even BS. It was because he would finally have to get his shit together and be a grown up. That is why he fought so hard to stay.

I can not tell you how much I regret staying as long as I did with my Ex. By being with him, I wasn't able to really really be there for my son like I wanted to. I was so stressed out and depressed. I didn't realize how bad until we finally split up and it felt like such a relief.

Once I was happier I was a better mom.

Your BS deserves so much more and you do too.

(((HUGS)))

DaizyDuke's picture

Yep, my ex cheated on me and it turned me into a stressed out wreck. Always wondering where he was, was he lying should I accuse him without proof? And I found out he was cheating when someone called and left an anonymous VM on our home phone one day. To this day if I see I have a message from a number I don't recognize, I get that sick in the pit of my stomach feeling.. even though my current DH has never cheated and I honestly don't think ever would... but that VM back then triggered something in me that doesn't go away.

When I finally got solid proof of ex cheating, I kicked his ass out. He wanted to try and work things out and I said no. No way, no how could I ever live like that.. always wondering, always looking over my shoulder, always waiting for the "next time" Nope. People used to tell me everything happens for a reason.. at the time the stupid phrase just annoyed me. Like wth? I've been married for 10 years, been a good wife.. what is the "reason" for this??? But they were right... I met my now DH who is wonderful (except for skid slip ups) and we had our BS6, who is the bestest little boy anyone could ever hope for.

You'll see, it might not be overnight, sure you may have struggles, but eventually you will come out of this and say "Damn! What took me so long!!!"

FTMandSM's picture

Thanks ladies! It's good to hear that things do get better. I have a feeling it's going to take him a bit to see if he can get assistance for rent etc. If it starts to take too long, then I'll move out. As long as I'm not there anymore.

kathc's picture

You'd serve your son better by leaving. Unless you want him to grow up thinking it's perfectly OK to cheat and sneak so that he can do it to his own wife someday.

moeilijk's picture

Doing what is right isn't easy. Knowing what is right is a little easier. Trust your judgement, and always make sure your circumstances set you up to have a happy life. If that is your environment, you will find it easy to be the great mom you know you are (but not all the time, it's hard work and sometimes they are exTREMEly challenging!)

momofbioandstep's picture

My bs10 was 2 1/2 when I left his dad. There was no evidence of cheating (but looking back he might have been) but he emotionally and verbally abused me. I stayed for as long as I did because I thought the same as you. I am a COD and didnt want my son to have the same life. I realized though it was hurting him more to see his dad do that to me and us constantly fighting.

A couple months after I left his dad BS told me that I looked a lot happier than I used to be (yes my almost 3yo told me that). That moment is when I knew I did the right thing by leaving.

not2sureimsaneanymore's picture

Okay, so today I'm going to give a slightly different perspective and this is something I haven't told many people. Sorry, I hope nobody burns me at the stake for taking the route that I did. I actually looked at my post for about half an hour debating if I even should risk posting it.

It depends on what the level of cheating was to me (physical and graphic sexting is a no go.)

I found out DH had been texting a woman from work for about a month because I looked through his phone--he had been acting weird and wouldn't even let me borrow his phone to google map a place we had to go, and did it himself despite the fact that he was driving. I wasn't allowed to look at his photos on his phone for some of our daughter's baby pictures, take it with him to the bathroom, shower, etc. So I looked. I always said I'd rather people think I was a controlling bitch than to be the last person to find out.

Found a woman was texting him photos of herself (not fully naked, like sometimes fully dressed or with her top off but bra on.) He had been working on a project at his workplace that coworkers were giving him a really hard time on, trying to shut it off from getting it to the higher ups, and she was the only one who thought he was a straight up genius and hung the stars and the moon (she also recently broke up with her boyfriend... who is married with 3 kids--DH and this woman were kind of friends and when she confided in him that she has low self esteem and how her ex didn't leave his wife for her, DH was all, "You did the right thing, etc." and became her knight in shining armor. Pretty soon she started sending pictures of herself before she left her house to go to functions asking him about opinions of her outfit and then it continued to escalate. No sexting, thankfully. She is now back to being the mistress of her ex.)

We had been going through a rough patch and this was just the last straw for me. I had been asking him to consider a separation for MONTHS and he swore up and down he didn't want to and loved me and our life together and our daughter and whatever but I was MISERABLE (mainly because he was emotionally unavailable because of this project and then the coworker who was stroking his ego in a way that I have never done), and he became more and more emotionally distant and erratic--might also have had something to do with the miscarriage we had and neither of us processed it really well. I had been begging him to just consider maybe we're not compatible and he wasn't willing to let me go but did this shit?

So I simply said I was divorcing him. Didn't even want the option of a separation. I found out I was pregnant a week later, and looked for an abortion clinic (which was damn annoying too because of all the hoops I had to jump through to even find one that would accept my insurance and made an appointment. It sucked because we had given up trying for a second one already due to secondary infertility issues from the c-section I had with my first and the following miscarriage.) In the end I chose not to go through with it because I told my mom who said she and my dad would support myself and my two kids for whatever temporary time I needed, and because I knew I was not going to bother dating/getting married again (try it once, if it leaves a bad taste, don't do it again is my motto) and wanted my daughter to have this sibling and this child that I had wanted too. DH also begged me not to, even though we were divorcing he would also rather I kept it and he would pay for it more than willingly. My mom did tell me (she went through somehing similar with my dad) to give it two months and if I still felt the way I do now, to go through with it.

It was the wake-up call that he needed, I guess. He immediately made an appointment with his therapist, and begged me to at least go with him to one marriage counseling session. Immediately asked me what he needed to do to even start gaining my trust back and that included cutting off contact with that coworker (they are in completely separate departments so it's not that hard, although she did go through a period of stalking him/harassing him until he threatened to go to HR.)

Somehow one counseling session turned to two, turned to three, turned to.... 8 months and counting. He also goes to his therapist twice a month.

And it got better. Better than better. He's kept all his promises, and I have access to all of his accounts/passwords/electronics, etc. any time I want or need without him batting an eyelash. He checks himself whenever I say he's starting to be a bit manic, something he never did before (he would get pissed that I wasn't supporting him) and will settle down. He's a better husband to me than he has ever been in our entire marriage, which is pretty shocking, and he's managed to keep it up for more than two weeks (I always said that was his limit.)

So, what I am saying is, is he willing to do everything it takes and follow through with it to earn your trust back? It's possible to do so. I will be honest, I never thought it was before this, and always vowed if someone did something like this to me, that would be the end. Of course, it wasn't physical or graphic (I had access to the entire conversation he had with her via text and he gave it up willingly) so I can't say I would have given him an inkling of a chance if it was.

You go through all the emotions in this, and the road is really hard. I won't bore you with the details but it involves a lot of tears and working through insecurities you never thought you'd have, but as long as he is willing to take all the responsibility and not get upset with you about how he made you feel, there's hope.

So far, I think I made the right choice. I can't say it will be the right choice for you, especially with a three time offender and I know some ladies will disagree with me. Only you can make that call.

---

As a side note I know it sounds horrible but I enjoy the shift to having the majority of the power dynamic in our relationship now because of this one mistake. He never goes anywhere without checking with me first, comes home at the times he says he will (he used to sometimes go grab a drink with his friends and would come home like half an hour later without even checking in while dinner sits cold on the table), does much more of the chores of his own volition, has stopped drinking completely (his therapist suggested it because he can be a bit snippy when he drinks), does a lot of self reflection and owns up to the things he thinks he's doing wrong by himself without me even to have to tell him it upsets me.

notasm3's picture

Many couples work thru things far more involved that what you and your husband had to deal with. Sometimes even another child from a mistress.

No one knows the dynamics of what works in a marriage. I am very happy for you that this is a positive outcome. At first when you said you hoped no one would burn you at the stake I thought you were going to say that you had cheated. (sorry)

No one can change the past. Be it a past marriage, awful skids that you wish didn't exist, cheating or a "too close" friendship. You can only deal with the present and future - which seem to be working for you.

What I find hard to accept is why someone stays with the spouse who is a serial cheater and liar. My ex married his affair partner (I had no clue of the cheating just knew I did not want him). They have been married now for decades. He has stalked me during most of that time begging me to take him back (didn't want him even before I knew about the cheating). He has openly cheated on her over and over and over again (but NOT with me). He's now in his 70s in very poor health and she is miserable and has been for most of their marriage. She wasted most of her life with him.

People (men and women) can make stupid, stupid mistakes. It can take a lot of hard work to get past it if both people want to work hard enough. Glad this is working for you and your DH.

ETA - It's not a bad thing to hold the power in a relationship. I really, really like my DH in addition to loving him. But he is very aware that I could replace him. I don't bring that up. But he is aware when another man becomes "smitten" with me even though I do not encourage it.

FTMandSM's picture

I am glad that you and your husband worked things out. I feel as though I have given all I can. The 2nd time I caught him, he was on craigslist ads and I was 6 months pregnant. This is the third time I caught him, so in my mind, how many other times has he done this. I have repeatedly told him what I needed from him and he told me that my feelings are ridiculous. But when he wants something, he gets mad when I don't do it. And by something, it's mainly sex, actually all he ever wants is sex. Which I guess isn't a bad thing, but I can't deal with always wondering who he is talking to, where is he going, etc. Messages can be deleted and his time at work can be "extended". I have been taken advantage of. I work 40 hours and come home and cook, clean, replace bathroom faucets, make sure our bio and his daughter have everything they need.

Yesterday he admitted that he did nothing around the house to help me out because he knew I would take care of it all. He admitted to not being there for me. He says he wants to change, but I am too far gone to give this yet another chance. I am just setting myself up for failure. He wants me to trust him, well I did after the 2nd time and look what happened. I feel like such a fool for staying.

not2sureimsaneanymore's picture

He has done nothing to show you he wants to change. I would not have accepted petty words either without some serious, actual, tangible change--going to a therapist voluntarily and then marriage counseling is a good step to show he's serious. Open book on everything of his electronics is another one, with NO deletions is another one. No staying at work unless there's documentable evidence of what he's doing, where, and why.

The first session with the counselor, he had asked what pushed me to make the decision to leave instead of stay, since most people do deal with a lot worse in terms of infidelity that come to see him. I had the same answer as you: I did not want to be paranoid, and wonder where he was, what he was doing, who he was with, always wondering, wondering, wondering. It drives people NUTS. I've seen it with some of my girlfriends who have stayed with a cheater and many have gone BONKERS. I did not want to be one of them.

So then DH had asked me what it would take to make me stay and I gave him a huge list of things (even some that were irrational/petty simply because I was mad) and he's followed all of them, including the inane ones. One of them, and it makes me laugh NOW but at the time I was just making things difficult (which I fully admit), was that if he must stay later at work, he'd have a live stream of himself that I can access at any time so he set himself up a webcam. I get cc'd on all of his emails that would include her (since she does work on a team that he occasionally has contact with.)

Also, I mentioned the woman started stalking him which included leaving notes in his mailbox (that he scanned, attached them, and cc'd me on the emails asking her to leave him alone), trying to run into him, etc. In the end, we got fed up and cc'ing DH, I sent a message that not so politely let her know I had the pictures she sent (when I first saw them on his phone, I emailed them all to myself just in case I needed them in court) and am not above making a bajillion copies and tossing them around her workplace if she didn't stop. Also that I knew who the guy she was with before was and that I think his wife would like to know about her too--especially since their's was a physical and year long tryst.

She stopped after that and it helped because it also proved DH had no true feelings for her if he had no problem with me doing what I felt was needed, even if it destroyed her reputation.

I honestly think unless your DH is willing to do tangible, long term changes, and being held accountable to someone else, not just you (the therapist, my parents know, etc) I would give the same advice as others which is to leave. Especially since he seems to do this as petty revenge for you not putting out. If he does choose the therapy route, even though it seems like he won't, choose an older MALE therapist. I don't want to be sexist but men seem to respond better to the authority of other men, instead of being like, well she's just on your side because she's a woman too. I made sure when he chose them that I required both therapists to be older, stern, male figures.

Some parts of me still wants to leave, even though our relationship is great. There's always that nagging feeling that I wonder if I'd be EVEN happier without being in one, ever. I don't think I'd get into another relationship even if I left this one--I guess I feel pretty fulfilled with just my kids and a partner is now sort of an optional addition.